Emergency responders in hurricane-battered Louisiana know disaster response: First the local fire department responds, then mutual aid comes in, followed by state support and then federal resources. These are the protocols that were followed during Hurricane Katrina.
But now the state is facing disaster of a different kind, and it has turned response protocols upside-down and left responders idling.
The Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20 and subsequent oil spill have frustrated emergency-response personnel all along the Gulf coast because of the inverted triangle of control for the response. British Petroleum is in charge of the disaster, working in partnership with the Coast Guard, and paying for every step of the operation. Consequently, BP approves any and all expenses.
Sandy Davis is the director of the Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness in Bossier City, La. He currently is on loan to the governor, serving as deputy state coordinator for the oil leak. He is working from the unified command post in Houma, La., where all the strategic and tactical decisions are being made regarding coastal marshes, beaches, wildlife, fisheries and oyster beds. Source Control is located in Houston.
Davis said there are 7,700 miles of marshes and coastlines in Louisiana alone. Right now, only 150 miles have been affected by the spilled oil, but “one-third of the seafood in the United States has been shut down and impacted by the spill,” Davis said. “It’s really a huge economic impact.”
If there is a positive side, it’s the fact that BP has the resources to fight this disaster, bringing in booms and skimmers from around the world, Davis believes. A smaller oil-exploration company would be helpless, and the U.S. government would be forced to accept responsibility.
According to Davis, state agencies and fire departments are ready to respond if called upon, but so far it’s the law-enforcement agencies that are being overwhelmed. About 10,000 minimum-wage laborers brought in for the cleanup are living in tent cities or in boat-tels in the harbor. This influx has brought with it an increase in alcohol abuse, stealing and other problems.
But as a former safety officer and chairman of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, it’s respiratory protection that concerns Davis. Disbursement products haven’t been used in these quantities before, and the potential impact on health is unknown.
And don’t forget Louisiana knows hurricanes. The National Weather Service warns that this year’s hurricane season in the Gulf could be severe. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a fact sheet in the event a hurricane runs through the oil spill.
The oil spill is devastating on many levels, but for Davis — a native of Louisiana and as deputy state coordinator — the frustration is unreal.
“I have always been an action-oriented person,” he said. “The bell rings, we respond and serve our customers. This is a devastating disaster and out of our control.”
